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EX-SOLDIERS' WANTS.
DEPUTATION TapRIME
IVIiyiSTER;
Mr. Bruce Defends Mr.
Stewart.
Platform Hysteria Censured
.Straight, talk; as from one i soldier, to
others, was drawn from the Prime7 Min-
ister, on Saturdayl'atrihe 'end.'of 'many
.speeches 'by^represeutatives of the Re-
turned Sailors and Soldiers':' Imperial
League and hhe Returned Maimed and
Limbless Men's. Association!' The depii
tatiouists were headed by Mr.; R. G. Sex
ty.'viee-president of the R.S.and S.I.LsA.
?State 'e*cci|t1^e;j ? , ? ..-,.??., „/'..- -???'?
? -'The' -first Teque.st^-that:. a- league- re
ipresentartiv'e^ join- the'^ Workers' ;. Homes
Board .; which;.'. Sjdmintsters-A war service
?hpn'ieH-4vfas; j»tit, by Mr. G. A. Robsbn
;(L'Mg.ue;.ejcecuuye:).' '?-.' '-. '? \
1 -jFixation'of U'«nsions' for: other: than
amputation .case's,, -with .'whom. ,this.- al
,ready;- opera tes.; -. wnsNaskedy f oif '?' by 4 :Mr.
C.-' W. iH) :Beechy. ^Le.iguei'execntive)^
???v- Mr. -.'Bructe.-- broke -in to tpoint^out, k
was -far better:' for Jiim; to ; discuss ?siich
plotters ; with -the .Federal. executive of
ihe-:-league; ---wh'b ' could ,-?? (?o-ordinate /'-the.
views* of-; the varipus- State' .branches.
''While^I; am. oulyi top ' pleased to ?hear
any representations ?'.you-;-.- make ? now.'
'he- said.- -:'l---.suggcst ? that;- 'bht .': nearly
every, one of- these questi6ns, it is much
better.,: to .'try to. get them 'handled
,- through' the ; v Fwlcral executive; ,;A which
covers .-'the fwhole',; of : Australia.'' Qn '? any
qMesti6ns,_where you. cannot. agree auiong
yourse! yes, and v. concern jng) .which '. .you
ha!d ye,ry strong views,; then^ you can
? put'themv up'; as your 'own,: and ? if is for
the Government to- weigh the; justice 'or
injustice of w-hat you ^propose, and say
'?Xes! or',- 'No ''-'..*,.,'?'?.?;..'-'; ? ' -.?;.-*?
^Thisrdid'inot' ciirb. the -speeches, how
ev.erJ'«':^:.-,J''' v^pr :-?:'? ?'M'..'-
. Mr. C.. L. Harvey (league ..executive)
had a fling at; the. Commonwealth -Minis-
ter for: Works ^{Mr. Stewart). He , de-
clared that views stated 'by the' West-
ern Auatralmn : secretary of , the 'WAr
Service Homes Board (Mr. Thomag) had
been repealed by Mr. Stewart after that
gentleman had Heard a1 league deputa-
tion : critical of local . administration. ' .
:;VHe -was attacking ''the ;'war-.'serv«ce
homes stone, contract; and citing , two
--cases' of alleged injustice when the Prime
Minister . pulled him up. -iV ? ? ?- T '*? ?'.-.
' 'You can j-ut in those cases, and they
will; be, looked ' into.' saW vMr. :.'.Bruce'
'The main thing is tol. get ^ at . broad
principles, in the treatment of the ': sol
dtw.- You used the- words r.'jerry build-
ing' .and 'snatch back practice;' A' They
sound very undesirable . words to be ij-
a statement Jike that unless: you «llaj{»
the ,. soldier is: getting ' grbss)y-, unfmr
-treatment as a -general.''. practice;' '-?'- ' !-
? ?M.r.:vHaryey:;Ivallege;.tliiitftiv; i^S -'
^ Mr. Bruce .^coldly): Well, -/fchenii yon
have put your' ease -wrongly. 'YouVshou^d
have ;, started ? -yonr caw?,, by saying the
whole: thing is unsatisfactory, and the
spldieris not getting a : fair deal.- ;?
i-Mr..;Haryey: .Thatis theycbriclusibnl
nieanf-to-conyey;*-:- $:'?';:- ;--?;--; ;'w'^
?;'v When the ^ next .speakers-Mr.'. S. Isaacs'
(league ? executive)— -also referred ? ' dis
paragingly ;to Mr. : Stewart; Mr., Brucp
was roused to: vigorous deferice'of his
.Minister;; ' ?;?; ?:.-?: .?~:;^-';^-.-r\~:i- ..--?.? ?
1 ''Mr. StewarW'Mie declared; HW dbiiii
extrabTdinarJly. good work for ^ tie sol
dier,vand ik trying ;tp getv the V- wvhole
thing cleared up and a definite basis laid
down as to what U going to be done.
There arc a tremendous number of war
service homes questions which are' in
the air. -\ As v'far' as we 'can, 'we are
laying. down .broad, principles in all cases
that run along parallel lines. Those broad
.principles, in a nutshell, are these
-r-that -the Government' has- .got', to
stand .up -to any. pHigations it
undertook, . or , any awsurances it
gave; similarly the soldier has got to
stand up to anything he said ?.-'he' would
do. It has got to be insisted on both
wde« -that it is a bargain, and must be
honoured. Where the Government has
made a mistake, and a house costing
£950 instead of f80» was built, and- w?
saMl'we would give a man the house for
£80(1., he i is to have it at : that
lo show- you the other side -of the ;case ,
^there is 'a line of houses .'rauririr in
worth from; f«0O to; fl.00(- for which
every soldier had been toW he would be
charged £800. We ruled, that we made
a bargain and we must give. them at £800.
One of. these liouaes has changed hands
by. a new soldir.r coming in. The new
soldier undertook to pay .£050.. which
was: the value of 'the house: -But when
he found out that air the other fellows
got' theirs : for £800 he said lie wanted
his for £850. We said he would not
Bet' it for £850. that he had bought it
for- f 950 with his eyes 'open, and that he
must stand up to it. That is the line
'we. -are-'' trying -to take—that both1 sides,
shall stand up to their bargain.; As to
'individual cases where abnormal circum-
stances, have intervened and there is no
broad principle, then we must analyse
those .cases and .endeavour to- give fair
and .equitable treatment. We are doing
our best to get the war service homes
question orit ;of . the difficulties it got. into,
and Mr. Stewart is doing .extraordinarily;
Rood work. ? I am surprised to hear there
is any suggestion that . he has given a
routine answer, put', into his hands' by
the department. From' what. I know Iof
him. I 'do hot credit : it.' However,- 1,'will
go. into that case with Mr. Stewart.- You .
could not hsyc fallen ' into better hands
than ,' Mr. Stewart's'' 'from the point-: of
view:' of a man' who wi!l\dig -into facts
and who will not be pushed aside, by .an
official who will' mislead him: ? Give him
a chance to get this whole Ihing in hand.
I don't think you will have. much to com-
plain of when he. has. done.' ? ,; „. ' '. ,!-.:;,
A paid holiday. for.Ansae Day amongst
State public, servants was- sought by. Mr.
C. -J.v. Cook '(league ex'e«iitiye).',-..Some
uniform method- of dealing with the;. day.'
was needed.' ' ? '? ?'?? , '-' : ??? ??''?' ?,!':?;-*.-
? Mr. Bruce: Ton need '? not ;go on, with
that. It will' be '-dorie^the v'wholc; ques
tiori.'' ??'?'??-. ? ?:?''?'?'' VT-:-' ?'?? '?*??'-? ',.'.. ;?
Mr. Cook: 'We. also want- yon -to1 sug-
gest to the Premiers' Conference that
this'day be included- as . a .holiday . under
the. Factories Acts.:, v , .\-;f. ?- . : '?
'Mr. -.Bruce: You 'will get ahat -decided
one-way or the .other/ .; ' ..' .'. ? ; ?
The president of the Maimerl and
Limbless -Men's' ? Association- JlMr.'Il.
May)' urged permanent travelling conces-
sions— concerning which.' the .'. State ' C«»
vernment was' prepared to meet-haJ£
the cost — to maimed and limbless meii:
Men who had jpas'sed the Federal, Pul.
lic -Service examination . years ago hail
not, yet been -appointed. Disabled nieu
who. could do no' other than' light worl»
should be ' given' preference over fit. men,
-The Prime- Minister nodded; assent to
the last sentence. ...
Mr. May also objected that ex-soldier3
were kept waiting for beds at Perth, Hos
pital because th.- repatriation ward was
filled with civiUan cases. -'. ^
Mr. W. J. Eddington (Federal Publw
Service branch of the R.S.L.) asked
that sick leave due to war disabilities
should be on full pay. He further
wanted three weeks' leave on pay^for
every year of service . with the A.I.T.,
or, alternatively, leave without pay ^
? Mr G. L. Prendergast (Federal Pub-
lic Service branch' of R.S.L.) desired
ex-soldiers, other things ^being equal, to
have first right of promotion. When
employees were dispensed with at the
Taxation Department those who were
not ex-soldiers should be put off first,
other things being equal. Federal officers
objected to having to make up tune for
Anzac Day.
Prima Minister's Reply.
'We will take note of these represen-
tations and let you know what We will
?lo,' lx-Ran Mr. Brace in reply. 'The
reason why I wanted to. see your depu-
tation is that your league has dune a
very invaluable work; I do not mean in
helping the soldier, but in restraining
him and seeing that hit) claims are fair
and just and such -as the Government
can entertain in relation to its respon-
sibilities to the rest . of the people of
Australia, whose -custodians . we are.
Your league has done valiantly in that
way. 1 certainly render a tribute to the
sanity of the men you have got, at. the
head of your league, since they have re-
strained th'e soldier- who in many c-jse«
might have gone too far and have asked
things which the public never could have
granted. It is imperative you should
go on in the same way. Direet repre-
sentation is- the way -yon -must- do the
thing.
'There are too many rather hysterical
people who get up on platforms and talk
about the way the soldier is being treat-
ed as if the .soldier had never received a
fair deal' from one end of Australia to the
otK.er. That is absolutely wrong. No
other country'stbod up to th« soldier' in
the -way Australia did. (Hear, hear.)
That is completely overlooked by people
who hear of one individual case, in which
the grossest hardship has been: inflicted.
But if imch persons h«d approached those
trhoeoold have put the matter right in
atead ? of : talking hyatericallj and wfidly^.
they would have done very mnch greater
?ezrice to: the soldier. ?
'So far as I see the position the sol-
dier has no desire to be a dass unto
himself. 'The sooner he becomes once
again a part of the civilian life of the
community the -better he will be pleased.
He does not, want extravagant treatment:
he only wants reasonable fairness. Them
»s every prospect of getting that reason-
able fairness- if we can only hold the
position so that representations are made
in the right, quarter, permitting proper
consider.it ion to be given to points as
they' arise. But that will never happen
if people get up on -public platforms and
inflame public opinion and., more particu-
larly, InfliimV lht» soldier who has come
back :. « little unbalanced. . That fellow
ppes clean oyer'the top again. , He does
not know quite what to do; but he has -i
burnirii; ^ens'e of ''hjustice. ., .What you
:«r-'hdping-:is.th'e'way to! do. it.' l# Approach
those who , can hear your case's and deal
with' them. ...
??There are some who. would put the
soldier into a position where he almost
earns the antagonism of the' community
who wish to-helphim. ''It is necessary
to sny that and, thank God. I an- ' in.. ?-
position1 where, 'T can «ay it, because I
aril; .1'.' soldier.'. ,'. I' do not .exempt from
that ^criticism- gome of thr-se/in the politi-
cal arena, who ;are- rather inclined to.' go
to the r soldier and slobber over, him and
talk to him as though he were a god.
I think that no one has done a better
work than your league in trying to' keep
tKe7.«'oWier»srne andbalanced at a period
when all those .handling the question: of
putting the soldier '. back into civil -life
are faced1 with' ;very- real and almost in-
superable 'difficulties.' I nrge -yon ;fo
go on in the spirit of : trying, to help or.
the soldier men behind you and trying
to get a reasonable,- fair and balanced
statement- of .-, your, ' case whenever you
reach a point. on which you want jus-
tice:' -- ?; ?-?:.', ,, ''.'.?:;... ., _
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